1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the fields of scent and aroma management. This may include, for example but not be limited to increasing the amount of desirable volatile organic compound (for example, fragrances) in a room or other area.
2. Background of the Art
Many devices for providing a fragrance to an area over a period of time are known. Generally, these devices operate by allowing a fragrance contained in the device to diffuse from the device and into the atmosphere. Diffusion of fragrance may be enhanced, for example, by heating the fragrance, by including the fragrance in a volatile carrier, or by a combination of those. Diffusion of fragrances and their general intensity is governed by their equilibrium vapor pressure. Fragrances with a high equilibrium vapor pressure have a high volatility and quickly evaporate.
The useful lifespan of a fragrance device is limited by the amount of fragrance that is able to be distributed from the device. After the fragrance supply of the device is exhausted, either the device is replaced in its entirety, or the fragrance is replaced. This latter may be done, for example, by replacement of a removable cartridge in the fragrance device.
Known devices for fragrance distribution may present a number of heretofore unresolved challenges. For example, selection of a carrier that allows uniform distribution of the fragrance at a selected rate is difficult. Some carriers and fragrances evaporate too quickly. This results in an undesirably short lifespan for the fragrance distribution product and potentially an undesirably intense aroma.
Other carriers and fragrances may diffuse too slowly, or diffuse to an extent insufficient to create the desired fragrance in a room of large size. This could result in a fragrance concentration that is too low to be effective for an intended use.
Use of heat to aid in the distribution of carrier from a fragrance has been tried in the past. Unfortunately, many heat assisted fragrance distributors share problems with their non-heated counterparts. For example, fragrance may diffuse too rapidly when the carrier is heated. Because the application of heat is often not uniform across the entirety of a fragrance diffuser (for example, when the heat is applied to only one side or to the bottom of a container holding the fragrance and carrier), the fragrance may not be uniformly released from the carrier.
This is particularly troublesome in applications where the carrier is a solid carrier, and where there is no opportunity for the carrier to be placed in contact with the heating element. This can result in low fragrance capacity (because only a small amount of carrier is provided) or in significant wasted fragrance and carrier (because more carrier is provided than can be placed in contact with or operatively close to the heat source.
It would be desirable to have a fragrance distribution device that is able to distribute heat uniformly or near-uniformly about the entirety of the carrier. It would further be desirable to have a fragrance distribution device that provides a more uniform and/or more controllable distribution of fragrance.